Sharks go down 0-2: They’re not getting the “Puck Luck,” and may never get it

Suddenly, it’s No-We’re-Not-Panicking-We-Swear Time for the Sharks. Yes, it has come early, even for them.

Mid-April? This is not supposed to happen until May!

After all that winning in the regular season, after all that great play, and star power, and coaching wonderfulness, and certainty that the Sharks were a far better team heading into the 2009 Stanley Cup playoffs than they’d ever been…

After tonight’s 3-2 puzzler to the Ducks–that befuddled the HP Pavilion home crowd into deep dark silence by the end—now the Sharks have dropped the first two games of their first-round series to Anaheim. At home.

Now they must go to Orange County knowing that Game 3 on Tuesday is a mongo-mandatory win, and the Sharks have to find a way to win four of the next five altogether.

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Or else this off-season could be one of the most uncomfortable in Sharks history. Yeah, you knew that.

Now is the time for the Sharks to brace themselves for the hell of hearing about all of their past playoff disappointments–and add a new two-game chapter to the storyline.

So that’s why Coach Todd McLellan was in his ultra-calm mode in the post-game news conference. I get it: Why heighten the drama? This is not the time to amp up the pressure on a team that hasn’t dealt with it very well over the years.

Todd, any doubt creeping in?

“I don’t think there’s any doubt–after the two games, I think if you went through and asked the guys, they think they’re the better team,” McLellan said.

“But we’re not getting the Puck Luck. I don’t think there’s any doubt. It’s not like we’ve been spanked and have got our tail between our legs.”

Ah, yes, the Puck Luck. I understand a lot of that–the Sharks have out-shot Anaheim a combined 79 to 53, yet have been out-goaled (and out-lucked) 5-2.

And out-victoried 2 games to 0.

The Sharks have drawn more penalties (and went 0-for-6 in the PP for the second straight game), created more chances, and, especially in Game 2, worked to get into the tough places in a solid rate.

Tim Kawakami

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Great Post Tim. Sums it up perfectly. The Sharks are playing scared, and were playing that way since game 1. They are afraid to disappoint, and that is why Thornton and Marleau have disappeared. I can see the offseason yielding a trade of Thornton or Marleau, or even both. It should be interesting, but I can safely declare the Sharks as done.

Sean James

TK, it’s like we have the modern version of the bad news bears. All the stats and not the true ability to be the big bad team. Every year, all the hype but not the grit and talent to make it to the big stage. You don’t have to be a hockey expert to see different difference between the regular season and the playoffs. Watching the speed of the Ducks entering the Sharks zone was either poor defense or poor coaching. Probably a combo of both. Hopefully, they’ll salvage one game out of this. Erhoff needs to go and a stronger defense needs to take place. I think it’s great to have offensive defensive men (Wilson’s image) but mabey it’s time to employ tough defensive and let the forwards do what their getting paid to do.

Fred

What excuses will Joe Thornton come up with after the Red Wings wipe out the Ducks in four? It’s not because the Ducks are a scary #8 team. It’s because the Sharks suck. Everytime in the playoffs, the team lacks intensity, traffic in front, bad passing, bad power play. They’ll find out that Hiller and the Ducks were nothing special when the Red Wings dispatch them quickly.

hja

…well they did all right talks but couldnt back it up… that s all…and the Ducks are supper hot now

One must wonder if the Sharks are cursed. Every year in the playoffs they find ways to disappoint us again by losing when they shouldn’t. They manage to choke on the power play. And that statistic alone has led to early exits in the post-season. For this season, though, I offer a more logical explanation for their post-season woes. Like they burned themselves out in winning the President’s Cup trophy, and that burnout began to show the last 5 or 6 games of the regular season. And now, all they have left is their pride, which will continue to be humbled, because they still think they are better than a Ducks team that is peaking at the right time. But the truth of the matter is that San Jose, of whom I have been a fan of for years, has been harpooned and will not recover from the spear of burnout and post-season expectations. If they humble themselves and realize they are playing like the 8th, not 1st seed, they might win one game. Otherwise they will be swept. How sad and pathetic…

Kshaq

Bay Area Sports–the Perfect suicide.

pjaysee

The way I see it, come playoffs, your BEST players have to be their BEST. PERIOD. look at the red wings, their best players come to the rink with their best performances. Supposedly we have 2 of the best hockey players in Marleau and Thornton. BUT they have been NONEXISTENT like they might as well be subbed by Jamie McGinn and Staubitz since theyre not taking over to change the fate of their team. After Thrusday (end of game 4) we should trade them for hard workers like a Pavelski and Clowe. Like they said, in the playoffs, Will trumps Skill. Its pathetic when our best line is our 2nd line.

pjaysee

I totally agree with you Tim and what frustrates me really is that no one in the locker room wants to just blow up and say something to wake up everyone. Even Mclellan is starting to look like another Ron Wilson around here and Marleau and Thornton should be beyond frustrated right now after losing so many playoff runs. Thornton’s postgame interviews are a joke and he talks with an “even keel” that annoys me because he seems content in losing. after this series, we need to get rid of them

cv_spartan

When will this organization finally stop blowing smoke up our collective rear ends and do what it takes to win? The excuses for why they dind’t win each year are getting mighty tiresome, as well as all the talk about potential … it’s time to stop talking and start winning. They held on to Wilson too long, who will go next? About the only thing they seem to do well downtown is raise ticket prices!!

Fed-Up

Remember all the talk during the season from our “stars”, ‘this is a different team’, ‘We’re fed up with losing’, ‘Just wait till the playoffs, we’ll be ready’. Yeah… Same Ol’ Sharks, which remind me off an ex girlfriend, we keep going back to her even though she tells us ‘this time will be different…’ What is the definition of crazy…..

If the sharks bow out this round and lose to the Ducks, Marleau and Thorton have to go. I’ve always been a big fan of both, but i’m losing faith in them. they’ve been non existent in the two games, and truthfully, if you replace both with, say any other two players on the roster, what would be the difference? I’d take two more JR’s or Clowe’s over Thorton and Marleau right now.

Sharkalchemy

Tim I’d like to see you dissect Doug Wilson’s obsession with accumulating Stanley Cup winners, an obsession that went overboard with Claude Lemuiex and now has a rookie coach placating the entire affair. Of course the irony now being the Ducks have a couple rookies taking care of business and 3 players that scored thier first playoff goals tonight.

Backing into the President’s trophy was probably the first clue. This team has not really played well the last few weeks, and the reason has already been put forth by the bloggers above, the “star” players and emotional leaders have disappeared. Winning all of those games in the regular season means nothing if you choke in the playoffs.

Lets Go Ducks!

Big boys create their own luck. Your team doesn’t work hard in front of the net, in the corners or pursues the puck aggressive enough to survive in the playoffs. To survive in the post season you need warriors, not guppies.

bseismic

DO NOT ever, EVER mention the Kings v. Lakers series as it pertains (come on!), to the Sharks. The Lakers had no business winning that series until the officials made it THEIR business to ensure a Game 7. The Sharks haven’t had anything remotely close to what the Kings endured in the now infamous Game 6. I wonder…. Will NBA TV ever get around to replaying that game? Oh, and the sharks need a heart transplant. They need to see the puck going into the net. They need to see that a Duck ends up on his ass with every check. Most of all, they need to start dictating the games intensity.

Real Shark Fan

3 words: “Not over yet”

Big Ducks Fan

Ryan Getzlaf has two things Joe thornton never will: Heart and a Stanley CUp

DUX FAN 1

3 words…..”Ducks Will Sweep!”

CountryBoy

Puck-Luck??? I had the “pleasure” of watching Game 2 in So Cal, and listened to the Ducks announcers, Alor and Hayward. (Same Hayward who played goalie for the Sharks.) To hear them tell it, the Sharks got all the luck. The Sharks got all the calls from the Refs.

The “trick” is to care so much about winning that you’re willing to pay the price.

As for a Thornton trade in the off-season? The Kings have lots of cap room.

SameOldStory

It’s the same old story with the sharks every year. Not “officially” the worst team in California, but I would almost bet on the Kings against the Sharks in the playoffs… What’s that old saying? “What do you call 30 millionaires watching the Stanley Cup Finals?”

The Sharks

DucksRuinSharksSeason

Looks like San Jose is going to have another long off-season. To bad too since they looked so good for the first half of the regular season. Guess it was just “BAD PUCK-LUCK” that got The Presidents Trophy Winning Sharks up against an 8th seeded Anaheim Team. lol 1st place in the regular season doesn’t mean dick in the playoffs. Maybe San Jose should have been better prepared for this Anaheim Powerhouse. The Ducks are battle tested and ready. The Sharks look like the L.A. Kings playing in a mismatched series. Destined to lose, embarrassed with no excuse and no answers on how to change things.

As a ducks fan I have this to say: Thank You San Jose. Thank you for allowing us to embarrass you in your own building. Thank you for letting us use you to reveal our Monster Powerhouse of a team. Thank you for being so docile as to be the catalyst of instilling The Fear Of God into every other playoff team in the league. We have stomped on you so far. And a win tonight will all but secure our position as the Toughest team to play against in the playoffs.

We have turned Your Best Season in team history into our advantage. Your early season success is our calling card now. We are on our way to sweeping the most successful team in the league. If we win the cup this year, We will have the San Jose Sharks to thank.

anotherDUCKSfan

3 words…not over yet

Look I agree with everything you’ve all said about thornton and patrick, mainly cuz I’m a ducks fan, and I’ve thought similarly for awhile. But look, this is the team you’ve “supported” this whole season…terrible time to duck out when they need you most

“Real Sharks Fan”(even tho I probably got in a fight with you outside the tank after game 1) I agree with you, its not over yet…

And fellow ducks fans…quite up. Even tho I originally called a sweep (I’m biased), we are playing the best team in the league so let’s not count these ducks before they hatch